A blockade of the town of Tall Kalakh by Syrian forces stunted the flow of Syrian refugees through the Lebanese border crossing Monday, driving many to enter the country through alternative routes, security sources said.

The Lebanese sources said that pro-government forces were surrounding the Syrian town of Tall Kalakh and the northern side of Nahr al-Kabir – the waterway that separates the two neighboring countries – to prevent residents from escaping into Lebanon.

“The influx today is very low because [the Syrian Army] has surrounded Tall Kalakh,” Mayor Khodr al-Hajje of Amayer village said, adding that both the Syrian and Lebanese armies intensified security along the border.